CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Constitutional Amendment
No. 19

Introduced by Assembly Members Sanchez, Hoover, and Tangipa
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Patterson)
(Principal coauthor: Senator Niello)

March 19, 2026

A resolution to propose to the people of the State of California an amendment to the Constitution of the State, by amending Section 8 of Article V thereof, relating to parole.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


ACA 19, as introduced, Sanchez. Parole.
The California Constitution delays for 30 days the implementation of any decision by the Board of Parole Hearings granting, denying, revoking, or suspending the parole of a person sentenced to an indeterminate term upon conviction of murder. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor, during this 30-day period, to affirm, modify, or reverse any such decision of the Board of Parole Hearings, and requires the Governor to report to the Legislature each parole decision affirmed, modified, or reversed, stating the pertinent facts and reasons for the action.
This measure would additionally delay, and authorize the Governor to affirm, modify, or reverse, any decision of the Board of Parole Hearings for the granting of parole for any person receiving parole through any early parole program designated by the Legislature, if that person was convicted of a violent felony, as defined.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  
Resolved by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California at its 2025–26 Regular Session commencing on the second day of December 2024, two-thirds of the membership of each house concurring, hereby proposes to the people of the State of California, that the Constitution of the State be amended as follows:

 That Section 8 of Article V thereof is amended to read:

SEC. 8.
 (a) Subject to application procedures provided by statute, the Governor, on conditions the Governor deems proper, may grant a reprieve, pardon, and commutation, after sentence, except in case of impeachment. The Governor shall report to the Legislature each reprieve, pardon, and commutation granted, stating the pertinent facts and the reasons for granting it. The Governor may not grant a pardon or commutation to a person twice convicted of a felony except on recommendation of the Supreme Court, 4 four judges concurring.
(b) No decision of the parole authority of this State with respect to the granting, denial, revocation, or suspension of parole of a person sentenced to an indeterminate term upon conviction of murder murder, or of a person convicted of a violent felony and eligible for an early parole program designated by the Legislature, shall become effective for a period of 30 days, during which the Governor may review the decision subject to procedures provided by statute. The Governor may only affirm, modify, or reverse the decision of the parole authority on the basis of the same factors which the parole authority is required to consider. The Governor shall report to the Legislature each parole decision affirmed, modified, or reversed, stating the pertinent facts and reasons for the action.
(c) For the purposes of this article, “violent felony” is any felony listed in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5 of the Penal Code, or any successor statute.